


Hold On Tight, Darlin'

by orphan_account



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Alice knows things, BAMF Bella, Edward is MIA, Examination of feelings, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Human Bella Swan, Jasper doesn't deal well with his feelings, Minor Character Death, Mostly Fluff, Newborn Vampires, Past Edward/Bella - Freeform, Possessive Jasper, Protective Jasper, Smitten Jasper, Soulmates, Vampire Bella Swan, Vampires, but is more than okay manipulating everyone else's, changing Bella, playing fast and loose with canon, protective cullens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 21:56:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16437551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alice sent him to protect Bella, to stop the attack from happening in the first place.He failed spectacularly in that regard.Now he has a transitioning Bella on his hands with the rest of his family hundreds of miles away, and he vows that if he couldn't protect her in life, he'll damn sure look after her through this.





	Hold On Tight, Darlin'

 “You are simply mouth-watering,” Laurent said, breathing in her scent.

 

Of all the stupid, reckless things Bella had done in the past few months, this supposedly safe walk through the forest to the meadow was going to be the one that killed her.

 

How on Earth was she supposed to know that there was a nomad vampire still lurking around her dreary town? Or that he’d track her through those very woods, intent on feeding from her?

 

Regardless of her intent, one moment she’d been studying the dead grass and the next she was staring down a pair of very red eyes.

 

Bella stood tense, her muscles coiled tight ready to run, for all the good it would do her. Firstly, she was more likely to trip over her own feet than make a clean getaway, and secondly, Laurent was far faster and far stronger than she could ever be.

 

He took a step closer, the careful, deliberate step of a predator, and Bella’s heart rate increased. This was a mistake, a stupid mistake that was going to kill her.

 

“Please, Ed-,” she couldn’t even say his name. No wonder Laurent hadn’t believed the Cullen’s hadn’t abandoned her. “They’ll come for you.”

 

Laurent laughed, “Oh, dear, beautiful Bella, I don’t believe they’ll care enough to look.”

 

Bella winced, the truth hurt more than she cared to admit. If any of them had actually cared they wouldn’t have left her here all alone and unprotected. Yet they had.

 

Laurent took another step forward. “Relax, it will be quick and painless, I promise,” he soothed.

 

They were utterly alone in the meadow. There was no one around for miles, which, she supposed, was a good thing. If anyone was to die, perhaps it was best that it was her. After all, what kind of a life did she have to look forward to anyway?

 

As he reached out to caress her cheek Bella’s eyes fluttered shut and she thought about Charlie and her mom, about Jake and her friends at school. What had she said to Charlie that morning before she left? Had she told him she loved him? Jake had his dad and his friends, her mom had Phil, but her dad had no one.

 

He would be devastated.

 

Unbidden and unwanted tears sprung to her eyes and she fought a shiver of revulsion as Laurent wiped them away.

 

“How any of your Cullen’s managed not to eat you, I’ll never know. You’re simply divine,” he said, as if it was some kind of great compliment. Maybe that’s what they’d put on her tombstone, if anyone ever found her body, that is.

 

_Here Lies Isabella Marie Swan. She was very edible._

 

Her heart rate sped up as Laurent’s nose moved across her neck, breathing deeply. His hands gripped her firmly, keeping her in place. Even if she wanted to run or fight, it was too late.

 

“Exquisite,” he said, and then his teeth sunk into her neck.

 

Bella screamed at the burning pain, writhing in Laurent’s arms as he began to drain her.

 

It was agony, but as she lost more and more blood she began to feel light headed and sleepy and the pain didn’t seem as bad anymore.

 

She was dying.

 

And then, suddenly, Laurent was violently ripped away from her and she was tossed like a ragdoll to the ground.

 

All Bella saw was a goldy-white blur tackle Laurent to the ground and she heard a bunch of growling and snapping, but it happened too fast for her human eyes to catch.

 

Come to think of it, it was getting hard to keep her eyes open anyway. In the distance she vaguely registered the sound of a tree falling and a kind of inhuman screaming, and then strangely the smell of smoke and something burning, but she wanted to do was fall asleep.

 

It would be so easy; she was so tired…

 

If this was the end, so be it.

 

As her eyes fluttered close Bella began to feel a comforting warmth flowing through her body. Was this what dying felt like?

 

But the warmth grew hotter. Uncomfortably so.

 

It was too hot; it was _burning_ her alive from the inside out.

 

She shrieked like a banshee from the sheer agony of it all. It felt like every single cell in her body was being lit on fire one by one. Her limbs were writing like they had minds of their own. She had no power to stop them, no power to do anything but scream and pray for some relief. Death would be better than this!

 

“Bella?! Aw, shit! Bella, darlin’, it’s okay.” The voice whispering at her ear was familiar, but Bella was too far gone to remember who it belonged to. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

 

Bella could barely even open her eyes; much less argue how she was very much _not okay_. She registered being up off the floor of the meadow, and something cool stroking her cheek, but she was too lost to her pain to do much about it. The voice said something else, but Bella didn’t hear a thing. The pain was too much; she had lost consciousness.

 

xxx

 

Jasper cursed as he raced through the forest, a lifeless Bella Swan dangling from his arms.

 

Bella had started the change, and there was fuck all he could do now to stop it. All he could do was take her somewhere safe and watch over her while she rode out every pain filled minute.

 

Wouldn’t be the first time he’d watched a newborn turn.

 

There was only one place for them to go, one place where they wouldn’t draw unwanted attention. Bella was unconscious now, but Jasper was well aware that in an hour or so she would be kicking and screaming like the best of them.

 

Some, a few lucky souls, spent most of their changes unconscious, but for most it was an unforgiving cycle of incoherent consciousness and agonising oblivion. He could only hope Bella’s transformation was quick, sometimes it took the better part of a week.

 

Either way, he couldn’t risk anyone stumbling across them, so holding her protectively in his arms he ran back to their old house.

 

They’d left it locked up, but everything was still there, all their furniture, their possessions. It was as if they’d never left, it was just waiting for them to come back home and start again.

 

Jasper kicked in the front door and raced to get Bella onto a bed. Esme and Carlisle’s room was the closest, but that felt strangely wrong, so he took her into his room without even thinking and gently lay her on the mattress and stepped back to assess the damage.

 

All humans were fragile, but Bella in particular had always seemed particularly breakable. Right now she looked a mess.

 

The bite on her neck was vicious, it was a miracle he hadn’t torn an actual chunk from her. She was absolutely covered in blood, her torn sweater was soaked in it and her skin, now deathly pale, was streaked with it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bothering him.

 

Oh, he was aware of it, he could smell the delicious warm vanilla spiced scent that permeated the air, but there was absolutely no desire to feed. Maybe it was because the venom was already doing its job or because he’d fed only the night before, he didn’t know, and being perfectly honest, he really didn’t care.

 

With clinical precision he checked to see if there were any other wounds she’d sustained that might complicate the process, but thankfully it looked like it was just the bite.

 

Even unconscious, Bella’s face looked pained. He remembered well enough the searing fire racing through his veins. He’d begged and screamed for someone, anyone, to put him out of his misery. Unable to help himself he reached out and gently cupped his palm against her cheek.

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone, least of all you,” he murmured, soothing her ever so slightly with his cool touch.

 

Wasn’t that why they’d left in the first place? To protect her? So she could have a long and happy human life away from vampires? Away from him?

 

Edward was a fool to leave her unprotected. They all were. Even if Victoria and Laurent hadn’t been sniffing around, Forks drew its fair share of nomads and Bella’s uncommonly potent blood made her a target, not to mention her strange compulsion towards life threatening activities and complete disregards for personal safety!

 

Under his cool touch Bella whimpered, starting to once again regain consciousness. There wasn’t much he could do to help with the pain or ease the transformation, but even a little help was better than none, so he left her side in order to get some wet towels and ice packs ready for when the fever really kicked in.

 

He also grabbed one of Carlisle’s first aid kits he had purchased when Bella had started to come around more often. With the change well underway there was little that he could do medical-wise, she would heal as she the venom took hold of her, but he could at least clean her up a little.

 

By the time he returned to the room Bella was once again thrashing on the bed, stronger now then before. She wasn’t screaming this time but whimpering, begging incoherently and sobbing. Her eyes, such a pretty chocolate brown colour, were wide open, but he knew she wasn’t really seeing. It was all fever dreams.

 

Jasper sighed as he settled beside her “I know it hurts like hell. You’re doing great, darlin’,” he murmured as he pulled open the kit got to work. He focused his attention on her neck wound first, cleaning it up, removing the dirt and grass from the bite. Then he sponged as much blood as he could from her skin, whispering calming words when she started to thrash under his touch.

 

Maria used to tie the changing newborns down to their beds, but Jasper refused to even entertain the thought with Bella. It was cruel, and it only caused unnecessary pain. They’d rip their skin trying to escape their bonds, he wouldn’t put Bella through that just to make his own task easier.

 

He was as careful and gentle as he could possibly be as he cleaned her until her skin was free from blood and dirt. Her clothes on the other hand were still stained and reeked of Laurent’s stench, but it didn’t seem right to change her, so for now they would have to do. He’d brushed her hair, as much as he could manage, and pulled out all the twigs and leaves. Afterwards he found himself dragging his fingers idly through her hair, partially to try and soothe her, but also because he couldn’t seem to stop himself, it was oddly cathartic.

 

He felt her pain, her fear, like it was his own. He would gladly suffer if it meant Bella didn’t have to.

 

After all, it was kind of his fault she was here in the first place.

 

Alice had had a vision.

 

She’d been keeping an eye on Bella’s future, checking in every few weeks to make sure she was safe. This vision though had come out of the blue. They’d been halfway through a hunt when Alice had suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, her face dropping in abject horror.

 

Alice had always told him what she saw, always, but this time, whatever she had seen had shaken her to her core.

 

All she had said was that Laurent was back in Forks, and he was after Bella. She had insisted that Jasper, and Jasper _alone_ had to be the one to go and save her. She refused to budge on the point.

 

_If I go and she sees me… Jazz, it’ll break her heart. We can’t tell the others or Edward will find out, and who knows what he’ll do? You’re the fastest and the best fighter. It has to be you; now will you GO?!_

He’d begged her to come with him until she was nearly in frustrated tears (or as close as vampires could get) before he finally relented and left.

 

If he’d have left sooner, if he’d been faster, then maybe Bella wouldn’t have been attacked.

 

It was his fault as much as it was Laurent’s the Bella was changing, and he owed to her to stay with her and watch over her.

 

He was drawn from his musing by Bella’s arm flinging out towards his face in a spasm of pain and reflexively Jasper caught her hand in his. She clutched onto his hand tight (had he been human he was sure she would have broken some bones) like it was a lifeline and didn’t seem to want to let go.

 

“Help me,” she cried, her voice hoarse from screaming.

 

He doubted she even knew who he was. He remembered all too well the cries for help from those changing when he was with Maria. Back then he hated being near them, feeling their change echo through him. He hated their weakness, it was almost pathetic to see them writhe and call desperately for people who weren’t there.

 

And yet with Bella, it was different. Maybe because she was family, maybe because he’d quite liked her, even before he’d lost control and tried to attack her. Whatever the reason, as he looked down at her he found he didn’t want to leave, he felt strangely protective of her.

 

“M’not going anywhere, darlin,” he said as he rubbed soothing circles into the back of her hand.

 

So he sat by her beside, holding her hand as he sent as much relaxing, calming vibes as he could her way.

 

Eventually, he knew, he would have to tell Carlisle. When she woke he would need help. Newborns were scared, confused, volatile and most of all hungry when they woke up. They were incredibly strong, wild things, and he wasn’t entirely sure he could manage a newborn Bella on his own. He should have called him, or Alice for that matter as soon as he’d gotten Bella safely back to the house, but for some reason he’d held off, focusing on caring for his charge instead.

 

At some point Bella had once again succumbed to unconsciousness and her death-like grip on Jasper’s hand relaxed enough that he could pull away. 

 

And yet he felt no desire to move whatsoever. The feel of her pulse, strong, if not a little quicker than usual, was strangely comforting.

 

Hours passed like that and until the sun crept below the horizon and the room began to darken. He’d stalled long enough, and with a reluctant sigh he pulled out his cell phone and dialled his pseudo father.

 

The phone hadn’t even completed its first ring when he answered.

 

“Jasper? Is everything okay? Alice won’t tell us where you’ve gone or what’s going on.” He was worried, of course he was worried. Whatever faults Carlisle had, he cared about his family more than anything.

 

“I’m fine, Carlisle, but you need to come home, back to Forks, I mean.”

 

There was a short pause on the end of the line, “Why? What happened? Did something happen with Bella?” Again, the worry in his voice was genuine. Bella, human or not, had managed to worm her way into their lives and hearts without even trying. Even Rosalie, though she’d probably rather have her arms ripped off than admit it, had come to care for her.

 

Jasper cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Bella was attacked by Laurent; I didn’t get here in time to stop it. She’s changing, Carlisle.”

 

For a moment there was nothing but silence as the gravity of the situation dawned on them all. Finally, Carlisle spoke. “It’s not your fault, Jazz, you can’t blame yourself for this. We’ll be there as soon as we can, hang tight.”

 

“Will you tell him-?”

 

Carlisle sighed. “Edward’s not with us right now, I think it best if we keep him out of it for the time being at least.”

 

Jasper found himself in agreement. Rationally he knew that newborn vampires were volatile enough without adding more emotional pain and guilt into the mix. He also had other reasons for wanting Edward out of the way, even if those reasons didn’t quite make sense yet.

 

Carlisle had hung up on him, but he’d barely noticed. He was staring once again at Bella, looking for any changes. Her heartbeat was still strong, which was a good sign. It was still early, but already he could see little differences. Her skin was smoother and a little paler, a little more… refined. Bella had always been pretty, even as a human, but Jasper knew she would make a one hell of a beautiful vampire.

 

The sun rose and set with just the two of them. Jasper didn’t leave her side except to retrieve fresh ice packs from the freezer. He didn’t really know if they helped, but they sure as shit weren’t hurting her, and that was better than nothing. He’d never been particularly caring with newborns, they were more trouble then they were worth, but Bella was different. She screamed and begged and cried and he sat there, holding her, soothing her as best he could, because what else could he do?

 

He failed to protect her in life, he would damn sure look after her in this.

 

Light was just starting to filter in through the trees when his ears picked up the unmistakable sound of a car pulling into the driveway two miles down the road.

 

If Jasper’s heart was still beating, it would have dropped into his stomach. He wasn’t looking forward to this reunion.

 

Alice was going to be pissed. Carlisle would be disappointed, Rose no doubt judgementally furious, Emmett would be Emmett, and Esme of course would be kind and concerned, which might be the worst of all. He had his work cut out for him trying to ease Bella’s transition without all that extra emotion setting him on edge. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to being chewed out for his mistakes either, if he was being perfectly honest.

 

He knew that he should go and meet them at the door, but as the thought entered his mind Bella’s grip on his hands tightened ever so slightly and she whimpered. Her body was too exhausted to fight against the pain, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. He squeezed her hand back.

 

No, he would stay where he was needed. They could come and find him.

 

Carlisle, as expected, was the first one through the door. Ever the doctor he went straight to Bella’s side before even acknowledging Jasper. He listened for her pulse, examined the wound on her neck, gave her a quick cursory examination and sighed. For anyone who didn’t know him it would have looked clinical and detached, but Jasper saw the worry in his eyes, noticed the tenderness and care in his touch. Carlisle cared for Bella a great deal, they all did. Bella had become a part of their family, leaving Forks didn’t change that.

 

Finally, he turned to face his son. “How’s she been?”

 

Jasper had yet to release Bella’s hand, and had no intention of doing so any time soon.

 

“She’s strong, but it’s been bad, Carlisle.” He didn’t elaborate, and Carlisle didn’t ask. Between the two of them they’d seen more than enough new vampires being born. Bella’s suffering just seemed… worse than usual.

 

Carlisle just nodded, clapping a hand on Jasper’s shoulder.

 

“It’s not your fault, Jasper. You did the best you could… Bella will come through this thanks to you.”

 

Jasper scoffed. “If I had of gotten there sooner...”

 

“Bella was always going to be one of us. It wasn’t ideal, of course, but which of us were turned out of choice? You got there in time to stop him from killing her, and when she wakes up she won’t be alone. She’ll have a family, that’s a lot more than most.”

 

“Family?” he sneered, glaring up at Carlisle. “Family don’t abandon each other. We left her, and she almost died because of it.”

 

Carlisle frowned. “No… we shouldn’t have left her unprotected. But it doesn’t change anything, Jazz. When Bella wakes up, we’ll be here. We’ll be her family as long as she wants us.”

 

Jasper didn’t say anything to that, he just turned to resume his watch. Carlisle’s eyes followed his, and for the first time it seemed he noticed that Jasper’s cold pale hands were wrapped around one of Bella’s.

 

“It’s been at over a day, Jasper. Why don’t you head downstairs? I can watch Bella for a while,” Carlisle murmured.

 

“I’m fine where I am,” Jasper said, his voice barely more than a growl.

 

“It wasn’t a suggestion; Alice is waiting for you. Plus, Bella’s clothes are soaked in her own blood, and I refuse to let her wake up in the clothes she was attacked in.” Carlisle’s voice was firm, and brooked no room for disagreement.

 

He was reluctant to let go of her hand, even more so to leave the room. He didn’t know why, why it was so important for him to look after her, why he felt this strange compulsion to be close, but he did.

 

“Jasper,” Carlisle warned, his tone taking on a tinge of irritation. “Bella will be fine.”

 

Jasper bit down on a growl. Mindful of Bella’s current fragility he squeezed her hand. “I won’t be gone long, darlin’.” And with a pointed look towards Carlisle he grudgingly let her go and walked on out.

 

Esme was waiting anxiously in the hallway, and the moment Jasper was out of the room she had her arms around him.

“Oh, my darling boy,” she said as she pulled away, instead cupping his face in her hands.

 

He almost smiled, he barely remembered his own mother, but Esme, despite being only a few human years older than him, had always been a maternal influence on his life.

 

“How is she?” she asked, her face pinched with worry.

 

“Bella’ll pull through, she’s a strong one,” he said, taking a little comfort in the grateful smile she sent his way. “Esme, can you grab some of the clothes Alice left for her? Carlisle wants to change her before she wakes up.” He decided not to tell her that the reason for that was because Bella’s current outfit looked like it had come from a murder scene.

 

Esme nodded. “Of course,” she said, darting across the hall into Edward’s old room. Jasper, meanwhile, headed downstairs to where Alice, Emmett and Rosalie were waiting. 

 

The moment he appeared in their line of sight, they pounced.

 

“Is she okay?” Rosalie asked in a surprisingly soft tone.

 

Jasper threw her a dark look. “What do you think?”

 

Emmett frowned, throwing his arm over Rosalie’s shoulder and bringing her close. “Dude, you don’t need to be a dick about it, we just wanna know if she’s okay… well, as okay as she can be, I guess.”

 

He searched his face, then Rosalie’s, then finally turning to look at Alice. He saw the same worry on their faces that he’d seen on Esme’s face, on Carlisle’s. He felt the unease and tension thick in the room, and sighed, sending out a ripple of calm.

 

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that a high pitched, heart wrenching scream ripped through the air.

 

Bella.

 

Without even thinking Jasper snarled and spun on his heel, ready to race back up the stairs to find her, but Alice leapt across the room and stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “It’s okay, Jazz. Carlisle’s with her. Come on, you and I need to talk.”

 

And so he let himself be dragged away by the tiny vampire, out of earshot of anyone else in the house.

 

He was expecting her to tear into him the moment they were alone, but instead she just reached out and hugged him tightly.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

He paused for a moment. “I think so. I’ve seen a thousand newborns change, but never-“

 

Another shriek ripped through the air, and the both of them winced.

 

“Never someone you care about?”

 

“Yeah. I just- seeing her in pain- it’s like I, I mean, it’s as if…” he couldn’t even finish his sentence. Watching helplessly as Bella changed felt like he was burning along with her. It was strange, and more than a little terrifying.

 

Alice smiled sadly at him, taking one of his hands in hers. “It’s okay, you don’t need to explain. I understand.”

 

But he wasn’t finished. “I’m so sorry, Alice. I should’ve gotten there sooner… It’s my fault she’s here. I failed both of you.”

 

Alice bit her lip, her golden eyes darting to the ground. “Jazz, it’s not your fault. You were never going to get there in time to stop it.”

 

“ _What now_?”

 

Alice gulped, plastering a tight smile on her face. “Bella was always going to be a vampire; we’ve known that for a while now. I didn’t see you stopping Laurent from attacking her, I saw him bite her, and I saw you stop him from killing her.”

 

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and then the rage and cold anger set in. Alice had known he wouldn’t get there in time. She’d known that Bella was going to change and didn’t say a fucking word to stop it. “What the hell, Alice?! Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?” he snarled, slamming his fist into the wall beside them, breaking through the drywall.

 

Alice looked miserable as she stared into his eyes. “Because that wasn’t all that I saw. _You_ needed to be the one to find her. _You_ needed to be the one to bring her here, to stay by her side, to watch over her as she changed.”

 

“Why?!”

 

If vampires could cry, Jasper was fairly sure Alice would be crying. “She needs her mate with her.”

 

Jasper frowned, “Then go call Edward. Least he could do is show up to fix his mess.”

 

Alice sighed, her eyes downcast. “I wasn’t talking about Edward; I was talking about you.”

 

Jasper froze, trying to feel out any hint of deception or malice emanating from her, but there was nothing but sincerity.

 

“Alice, what in the fuck are you talking about?”

 

“I love you, Jasper, but I am not your mate. I saw your life together, glimpses of it at least.” Alice smiled, and her golden eyes shone. “You’re so happy, Jazz, Bella makes you happier then you’ve ever been.”

 

“What about Edward, what about you?! I love _you_!”

 

“I know, but not like you’ll love her. Jazz, I can see that even if you’re in this room with me, you want to be with her. Your eyes keep darting towards the door. Tell me you don’t feel connected to her, that you don’t already love her…”

 

Jasper opened his mouth, but words failed him.

 

“You were the first face I saw when I changed,” she continued. “You were the one who kept me sane, but we’re not meant for each other.”

 

“Your visions change, you know that!”

 

“Not like this, Jazz. Some things are certain. Every way I’ve looked at this, every decision you make leads to her.”

 

Jasper’s brow furrowed. “You knew when you sent me back here?” Alice nodded. “You could have said nothing; you could have let Bella…” He couldn’t even say the words, didn’t even want to think them.

 

Alice face morphed into a horrified expression and she took a step away from him. “Let Bella die?! I could never, she’s a sister to me, I love her!” She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. “I’ve known for a long time that you and I weren’t meant to be together forever. I want you to be happy, Jazz, and Bella will make you happy.”

 

“What about you?”

 

She smiled softly up at him. “Don’t you worry. I have someone, they won’t be here for a while yet, but they’ll love me more than anyone else ever could. But for now we need to focus on Bella.”

 

“We?”

 

“Family don’t abandon each other. She’s family, so are you.”

 

Jasper nodded, they hugged each other tightly, and then Alice stepped back, grabbed his hand and led him back into the living room.

 

Esme had returned from upstairs and was talking quietly with Rosalie with Emmett, as always, by her side.

 

Three sets of eyes instantly flashed towards them with varying degrees of confusion, suspicion and sympathy in each. Frankly, Jasper didn’t care what they thought.

 

“Is Carlisle done?” he asked before anyone else could say a word. He wasn’t sure if he believed Alice, not yet, but he couldn’t deny the itching feeling inside him that hadn’t let up since he left her.

 

“Jazz, dude, you need to chill. Bella will survive just fine without you hovering over her,” Emmett said, and Jasper had to fight the urge to take a snap at him. He settled with rolling his eyes. Emmett couldn’t possibly understand, none of them could.

 

“Emmett, leave him be,” Esme chided, before turning her attention back towards the blonde vampire. “But he does have a point. You’ve barely spoken since we arrived, and Alice only gave us the basics. What happened?”

 

He’d been dreading this conversation from the very moment he’d made the call to Carlisle. He wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of delving into his failings, but from the looks Rose, Emmett and Esme were giving him he doubted there was much he could do to avoid it.

 

Best to get it over with, he supposed.

 

In an almost mechanical voice he recounted the events as briefly as he could. “Alice had a vision of Laurent attacking Bella, she sent me to stop him. I tracked him through Forks, but I arrived too late. He’d bitten Bella. I stopped him, but she was already turning, so I brought her here.”

 

There was so much more to it than that. There was that singular horrifying moment where he’d smelt her blood in the air and thought he was too late. The rage he’d felt at seeing Bella struggling against Laurent as he drained her and the absolute pleasure he’d taken in ripping him apart for ever daring to hurt her.

 

“Stopped him how?” It was Rosalie, looking at Jasper with an unexpected hardness in her voice that took him by surprise. He’d felt her anger when they’d first arrived, but he’d chalked it up to the fact that she’d been dragged here for a human she’d never particularly cared for.

 

He met her gaze. “I tore him to pieces and made a bonfire.”

 

Rosalie smiled a smile that was all teeth, the cold grin of a predator. “Good.”

 

Jasper felt closer to her in that moment than he ever had before.

 

He went to make another comment but he heard a sound that stopped him short, an agonised whimper coming from upstairs.

 

Bella.

 

He was halfway up the stairs before he was even aware he’d moved.

 

He burst through the doorway to find Carlisle by her side, murmuring quiet reassurances. He’d changed her like he’d said he would, she was wearing a lovely blue dress Alice had bought for her just before they’d left. She was on the edge of consciousness, feverish and too weak to move, yet clearly still in agony. Even in the short time he’d been gone he could see the little changes in her – the wound on her neck was almost entirely healed, leaving only the tell-tale silvery scar from the venom. He wondered what she would think of his own scars. He was covered in them, marks from every vampire he’d ever killed, and there had been many; would they frighten her? Repulse her?

 

He hair seemed more rich, the colour in her cheeks had faded a little. She was somewhere in-between mortal and immortal.

 

Ignoring Carlisle’s presence entirely he ran to her side, reaching across to grab her hand once more. He brought it to his lips just for a brief moment.

 

“Hush now, sweetheart. I’m right here, not goin’ anywhere.”

 

He could feel Carlisle’s eyes on him, but he deliberately tuned him out, instead choosing to smile softly at Bella.

 

“Jasper…”

 

“Not now, Carlisle.”

 

Carlisle just sighed, taking Jasper’s caginess in stride. “I’m proud of you, I know it couldn’t have been easy,” he said.

 

Whatever Jasper had been expecting him to say, that wasn’t it. “Killing Laurent? Nothing I haven’t done before. I’m quite good at it, actually.” It sounded a little bit more bitter than he intended, but he was past the point of caring. Carlisle, ever unflappable, didn’t seem remotely phased by the venom in his voice.

 

“I know your past, you don’t need to remind me, Jasper. I was talking about Bella.”

 

Jasper clenched at the very mention of her name, unintentionally squeezing Bella’s hand a little too tight. She cried out in a haze of pain and instantly he loosened his grip. “Sorry, darlin’,” he murmured. “What about it?” he asked tersely.

 

“It mustn’t have been easy to stop from feeding once Bella was already bleeding. I’m proud of you for saving her life.”

 

“He wouldn’t have hurt her,” Alice said, skipping into the room. Both Jasper and Carlisle had been so wrapped up in their own conversation they had entirely missed that the rest of their family had joined them.

 

“Because you saw it in your visions?” Carlisle probed as Esme, Rose and Emmett filed into the room around Bella’s bedside.

 

“No,” Alice said as she sat on the edge of the bed, carefully moving a strand of Bella’s hair away from her face. “Because he would never hurt his mate.”

 

“I’m sorry, his _what_ now?” Rose said, glancing almost comically between Alice, Jasper and Bella. Esme looked just as bewildered while Carlisle was staring at him with a shrewd, calculating look.

 

“Fucking hell, dude! A little warning might have been nice!” Emmett growled, shoving Jasper none too gently. Jasper sent him a death glare in response.

 

Meanwhile Alice had busied herself with running her hands through Bella’s hair. “His mate. He didn’t know, not until she started to change.”

 

Alice’s tone, while light and soft, brooked no room for disagreements. Every one of them stood in silence for a few minutes, soaking in the information.

 

Finally, Carlisle chuckled, breaking the tension in the room. “I guess this explains your behaviour, why you didn’t want to leave her… You called her ‘darlin’’… I’m surprised I didn’t think of it sooner.”

 

Rosalie didn’t accept it quite as easily. She kept looking between Alice and Jasper with a frown. He could feel her confusion, but there wasn’t any spite or anger there, just genuine bewilderment and concern for Alice. “And you’re okay with this, Alice? I thought the two of you were… well, mates.”

 

Alice glanced up from Bella and gave Rosalie a small smile. “Of course I am; I’ve seen how happy they’ll make each other. I’ve known for a long time Jasper wasn’t mine to keep.”

 

He knew they had more questions, but they didn’t ask them. It was a good thing, because right now he didn’t have any answers.

 

“How long does she have left?” Esme asked, changing the subject entirely.

 

Jasper did the calculations quickly in his head. He’d must have been with her for well over a day and a half now. Some changes took a long time. The longest he’d ever seen was six days, but that was rare. Already he could see the changes in Bella, she didn’t look human any more, but she wasn’t quite a vampire yet either. “A day at least, two at the most,” he said, and Carlisle nodded in agreement.

 

“She’s more than halfway there, I think,” he said.

 

“Can we wait that long?” Esme asked. “If she’s been missing for over a day, surely Charlie will have noticed. How long until he sends out a search party? He’ll look here, I’m sure of it.”

 

His stomach lurched in panic. He’d been so focused on Bella that he hadn’t even considered Charlie, but of course Esme was right. It was a miracle Charlie hadn’t already paid the Cullen house a visit. If there was a man who would move heaven and earth to find his daughter, it was Charlie Swan.

 

“We can’t move Bella, it’s too risky,” he snapped.

 

“He’s right. She’s changing, I mean sure, she’s knocked out now, but what happens when she wakes up and starts screaming. How the fuck are we supposed to move her?” Emmett added.

 

Carlisle shared a look with his wife, “Jazz, we might not have a choice. If Charlie doesn’t come the wolves will, and they won’t ask questions. She’ll be a missing person by now.”

 

Rosalie frowned. “And even if they don’t, when she wakes up she’ll be hungry. She’ll want to hunt. We’re too near to people here. Bella might not be able to stop herself, she’ll never forgive herself if she hurts someone she cares about.”

 

Alice looked thoughtful for a moment. “Not to mention Victoria, she’s been sniffing around here lately, she was the reason Laurent came back in the first place. It’ll be safer if we take Bella somewhere else, and quickly.”

 

Jasper resisted the urge to growl at them. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down he spoke, “We can’t move her, it’s not safe! What if she wakes up while we’re travelling? Where in the fuck would we go anyway?!”

 

Carlisle thought for a moment. “The house in Calgary. It’s the best bet we have, close enough without risking the safety of anyone here.”

Jasper was fuming, but he knew he was outnumbered. It was pointless to argue, if they were going to leave, and apparently they’d made the decision that they were, then they needed to go quickly for Bella’s sake.

 

“Fine,” he gritted out. “Rosalie, Esme, can you two pack up some clothes for Bella?” They both nodded, disappearing from the room. Jasper turned his attention to Carlisle. “Carlisle, do we have any human blood still here?”

 

Carlisle paused for a moment, thinking it over. “I believe so, why?”

 

“Grab it. Hopefully we won’t need it, but if Bella wakes up while we’re on the road I don’t wanna risk it.”

 

He nodded and slipped out of the room as well.

 

“Emmett, did you bring your Jeep?”

 

“Yeah, I drove with Rose and Alice, Carlisle and Esme took the Mercedes.”

 

Jasper breathed a sigh of relief, thank Christ they’d taken two cars. “Good. You, me, Rose and Bella’ll go in the Jeep. Alice, you go with the other two. We’ll need to do a bit of off road driving.”

 

A slow smile spread across Emmett’s face. “Alright. I’ll get her ready.” And then he too left leaving Jasper and Alice alone with Bella.

 

“Jasper, everything’s going to be okay. Trust me, this is the best thing for her,” Alice murmured. “I don’t see any trouble coming, it’ll be smooth sailing, I promise.”

 

His eyes flashed to hers, “She’ll wake up in a strange house, I wanted her to feel-” he stopped himself short, but Alice knew him better than that and smiled kindly.

 

“To feel like she was at home? Safe? Jazz, what matters is that when she wakes up, wherever that may be, she’s surrounded by her family. It’s a lot more than most newborns get. Home will be wherever you are. Now, do you need help moving her?”

 

For a moment he held her gaze. He remembered the very first time he’d seen her. She’d been undeniably beautiful and lovely as she’d danced her way over to him and with one look into her golden eyes he’d felt something he hadn’t felt since he’d turned; hope. At the time he’d attributed the hope to Alice herself, but thinking back he realised he’d been wrong. Sure, Alice had shaped him into a better man, she’d shown him a different way of living and he would always be grateful for it, but it went beyond that. Alice had given him hope that he could have a happy future, something she was ensuring he could have now, with Bella.

 

 Despite his nerves and worry over Bella, he managed a smile. “No, I got her. Go see if any of the others need a hand, I’ll get her in the Jeep,” he said. She nodded, saluted, and gracefully flitted from the room.

 

Now alone, he focused back on Bella. “Don’t know how much of that you heard, darlin, but everything’s gonna be okay. We’re just gonna take a little trip.” With gentle hands he lifted her from the bed and into his arms. Still delirious from the pain and barely clinging to consciousness Bella gasped at the coolness of his skin against hers and lay her head against his chest, whimpering like a lost little lamb. For a split second he was frozen in place, marvelling at the sight.

 

He pressed his lips against her cheek for the briefest of moments, unable to help himself. However, they didn’t have time to waste, so with Bella secured in his arms he darted back through the house and into the garage, where true to his word Emmett had his Jeep purring already.

 

Carlisle had already packed the blood into the trunk of the Jeep, and Rosalie had just finished loading a suitcase full of what he assumed to be Bella’s clothes in there as well.

 

“Alice is looking ahead, if anything changes we’ll call. We’ll follow each other until the border, and split up. We’ll join you back at the house,” Carlisle said to Rose. “Look after each other.”

 

Rose nodded.

 

Jasper didn’t say anything as he clambered into the back of the Jeep, careful not to jostle his charge too much. He lay Bella down beside him with her head in his lap, his long, pale fingers already winding their way through her hair, though whether it was to soothe her or himself he couldn’t really say. He heard Alice, Esme and Carlisle get in the Merc, and moments later Rose clambered into the front seat beside Emmett.

 

“You good, dude?”

 

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

Emmett nodded, and a millisecond later they were peeling out the driveway, leaving their house and lives in Forks behind once more, only this time they were whisking Bella away with them.

 

xxx

 

He wasn’t sure exactly how long the trip took. He could feel Rosalie’s worry, Emmett’s anxiousness, and he wanted to calm them, he really did, but it didn’t work so well when he himself was so uneasy.

 

Every moment with Bella felt like an eternity. She was in so much pain, he could feel it. She wasn’t thrashing, or screaming, but she felt the agony all the same. All he could do was hold her and tell her that everything was gonna be okay, that the pain would be worth it and that he wasn’t leaving her side.

 

Emmett drove fast on the roads, and like a man possessed off them. The car bounced and jilted as Emmett bounded it through the forest, driving faster than humanly safe. They had to cross the border unseen and unchecked, and that was the best way to do it. He kept Bella cradled in his arms, she was beyond human at that point, but he wasn’t taking any risks.

 

They passed the border without any trouble and somehow they made it to Calgary. The house, like all their houses, was waiting for them to come home and start again. Fully furnished, clean, stocked and entirely empty. In his time with the Cullen’s he’d only been here once before, about forty years ago.

 

“Jazz, take her up to my room. It has the best view of the forest.” Rosalie murmured as Jasper pulled Bella from the Jeep. When he turned to give her a confused look she smiled, looking somewhat abashed, an unusual look for her to be sure. “It’ll be nice for her… when she wakes up.”

 

“Can’t be too far away, she doesn’t really look human anymore, does she?” Emmett said, hauling Bella’s suitcase from the back of the Jeep.

 

Jasper paused, looking down at her. Emmett was right, she didn’t quite look human anymore. She looked more like them than she did her human self, but she was undeniably Bella. Beautiful.

 

“No, not too long.”

 

While Em and Rose unpacked the car Jasper carried Bella through the house and into Rose’s old room, gently setting her upon the bed.

 

“Jazz, are you ok?” It was Rosalie, standing tentatively in the doorway.

 

“I will be, when she wakes up.” He glanced up at her, “Thank you, for the room, I mean. I know how you feel about Bella, and it means a lot. I don’t think we’ll stay here long, just until Bella settles down a bit and then we’ll go. You don’t have to worry.”

 

Rosalie frowned, “I don’t want you to leave. Either of you.”

 

“But you hate…” he trailed off uneasily at the look of mounting frustration on her face.

 

Rosalie glared at him, stalking over to where Bella lay on her bed. “I don’t hate Bella. I didn’t like her at first, I’ll admit. I thought she was going to get herself eaten by Edward or expose us, I didn’t trust her.” She looked down at Bella and smiled ever so slightly. “Then I got to know her, she’s a good, kind person, Jazz, and I do like her. I never wanted her to become like us because I know what she’ll have given up, but she didn’t choose this. I don’t want you _or_ her to leave. When she wakes up, we’ll be here, all of us, because we’re her family now.”

 

“That, and it’s gonna be so much fun seeing new-born Bella! I can’t wait!” Emmett chimed in from the doorway. Both Jasper and Rosalie rolled their eyes, but Jasper could feel the tension in the room had lifted. He loved them both, and he was glad they were here. “Alice just texted, they’re about an hour out,” said Emmett.

 

And so they resumed their waiting game. True to their message Alice, Esme and Carlisle arrived fifty-five minutes later. They took turns watching over her as the sun came up, waiting for her heart to stop, but Jasper didn’t leave her side, and no-one questioned it.

 

Every so often Carlisle would come in to check her vitals and monitor her progress. Esme would sit beside her, speaking softly and kindly to her. Emmett told her jokes, Alice and Rose took turns sitting on the end of the bed all the while Jasper held her hand.

 

Hours crawled by.

 

Eventually, finally, Bella’s heartbeat began to speed up until it was thrumming like a hummingbird and then, suddenly, it stopped.

 

Silence echoed in the room.

 

“Carlisle!” he called, and moments later the Cullen patriarch was beside him, bringing Alice with him.

 

Silence. Jasper was sure that if his heart still worked it would have been pounding out of his chest. Six pairs of eyes focused on Bella lying ever so still on the bed.

 

Red eyes opened and blinked, focusing in on the room around her, distracted by the little flecks of dust in the air. He expected Carlisle to say something, or maybe Alice, but they seemed to be waiting on him to make the first move.

 

“Bella?” Jasper breathed.

 

She reacted to the unexpected sound, scrambling up against the headboard of the bed, her eyes wide and afraid, growling softly. He’d expected this and sent subtle waves of comfort and calm her way. He remembered how it felt to wake up in a strange body, hungry, scared, and stronger than ever before.

 

Like a wild thing trapped in a corner Bella surveyed her surroundings, her eyes moving from each of them, finding Jasper’s last of all. As red met gold Bella breathed out unnecessarily and the last of her tension seeped out.

 

Her eyes flickered over him, and Jasper knew she could see the scars that ravaged his body clear as day. Would she be disgusted? Scared? Repulsed? How he wished the thought didn’t terrify him as much as it so clearly did. After what felt like an eternity (but was probably no longer than a few seconds) Bella’s eyes came back to meet his.

 

“Jasper,” she breathed, and he couldn’t even pretend to hold back his relieved smile at the sound of her voice, crystal clear like a bell. A little crease appeared between her brows as her body reacted to the unnatural effect of pulling air into lungs that didn’t need them, bringing with it all the scents of the house and the forest around them. Abruptly she looked down at her body, examining the marble-like pale skin of her arms, gliding her fingers against the impossibly smooth surface. It took a moment for the penny to drop, but eventually it did. He sensed the overwhelming feeling of panic a moment too late. He opened his mouth to say something, but Bella shot up from the bed and with a horrified look upon her face she opened her mouth and screamed a blood curdling scream.

 

“Bella! Bella, darlin’, you gotta calm down,” Jasper cried, leaping forward to grab her. She darted past his grip, pushing Alice and Esme out of the way in her haste to scramble away from the bed.

 

Vampires were used to being the strongest, the fastest, but newborn vamps were quicker and stronger. Bella managed to dodge Emmett’s tackle, Rosalie’s grab and Carlisle’s feint, running at full speed out of the room.

 

If it were anyone else, Jasper might have laughed. Instead he muttered a filthy curse and took off after her, chasing her through the house with Carlisle and Em on his heels. Why on earth did the house have to be so big?!

 

“Bella, slow down!” If she left the house they’d be chasing her all day through the woods, and lord fucking knew there’d be some helpless human just asking to be eaten. The last thing he wanted was for her to hurt anyone, she’d never forgive herself.

 

Thankfully, for whatever reason, Bella stopped just shy of the door, frozen in place. Slowly she turned to face him.

 

A mere foot away Jasper stood, desperate to reach out and hold her, but knowing that she was just as likely to try and bite him or run again if he did. So he stood behind her, waiting for her to speak.

 

“I’m a vampire.”

 

“Yes. Do you remember what happened?” he asked calmly, conscious of the growing anxiety from Carlisle beside him.

 

Bella’s brow furrowed as she thought back.

 

Finally, she spoke. “I think so… I remember a vampire… Laurent? He… he attacked me. I thought he was going to kill me, but he stopped, no… something stopped him…” Her eyes widened as something clicked. “You. You were there. I remember your voice, talking to me. Your voice calling through the pain.” She cocked her head to the side, looking at him as if she’d never quite seen him before. “You stayed with me the whole time.”

 

“I promised I would.” He held his hand out tentatively and after a moments deliberation Bella reached out and took it. The moment he touched her it all fell into place.

 

He’d felt hope when he’d found Alice, but in that moment he felt so much more. Hope, happiness, joy, fierce exhilaration and unending, all consuming adoration and love for her burned through him like wildfire. In that single touch, any doubts he might have had that Bella was the one he wanted to spend every day with were obliterated. Unable to help himself, he beamed at her. Bella, tentatively, smiled back.

 

“Welcome home, Bella,” Carlisle murmured fondly. He stepped forward with his arms open and Bella didn’t even hesitate, momentarily dropping Jasper’s hand to hug Carlisle.

 

“We missed you,” Esme added, wrapping her arms around Bella once Carlisle had released her.

 

Jasper stood back as the rest of the family greeted her, Emmett with a big bear hug, Rosalie a smaller but no less affectionate embrace, and Alice with a tight squeeze.

 

“Do you want to see what you look like?” Alice asked, practically bouncing in anticipation.

 

“… Maybe?” Bella said with a little shrug. She was nervous and more than a little self conscious, he could feel it. She had no need to be, she was pretty as a human, she was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined as a vampire.

 

If Alice sensed Bella’s apprehension she showed no indication, simply reaching out, grabbing Bella’s hand in hers and practically dragging her back upstairs to look in a mirror. Helplessly, Bella followed along with the rest of the gathered Cullen’s trailing after her.

 

He wanted to reach out and take her hand, reassure her that she looked utterly breathtaking, but it wasn’t the right time. He had no idea if she felt how he did, after all she had been pretty smitten with Edward up until he’d forced them to abandon her. Surely she had noticed that he wasn’t here with the rest of them… was she holding out for him to show his face? Maybe she still loved him… He had to fight the wave of possessiveness that bubbled up inside of him at the thought, instead putting his energy into keeping Bella calm as Alice gently guided her in front of the floor length mirror Alice had installed in their room when they’d first moved in.

 

Bella’s red eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she surveyed her own reflection. He could read the almost reverent shock in Bella’s eyes, even if she hadn’t been projecting it across the room. Everyone was silent as she moved closer to the mirror, almost like she didn’t believe the reflection was real, or that it wasn’t truly hers.

 

Finally, unable to stay silent for too long Alice piped up, “So, what do you think?”

 

Bella opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn’t quite find the words. “I… I didn’t think I’d look so…” she trailed off, unable to tear herself away from the mirror. She seemed fixated on her eyes, a brilliant blood red.

 

“So dead?” Em supplied, deftly dodging the elbow Alice sent his way with a laugh.

 

“So in-human?” Carlisle suggested more sensibly.

 

Bella frowned, “No, I just didn’t think I’d look so… so….”

 

“Beautiful?” Rose said. Abruptly Bella’s flickered to meet hers in the mirror and she smiled gratefully.

 

“Yeah… I’m just a bit surprised I guess…”

 

Alice snorted and Jasper smiled indulgently at Bella. “All vampires have a certain… allure to them. Wouldn’t be much good luring unsuspecting humans if we weren’t. You’ve always been pretty Bella, is it really any surprise that you’d make a gorgeous vampire?”

 

Bella smile widened at the compliment, and Jasper didn’t have a doubt in the world that had she still had blood running through her veins she would have been blushing the most charming pink. Her smile should not have affected him as much as it did, but it took his breath away in the most delightful way. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and spend every moment of the rest of their lives making her smile like that. He had entirely forgotten that there were five other vampires in the room, witnessing their moment, sharing somewhat awkward looks between them.

 

It was Esme who broke their moment, clearing her throat pointedly. “Rose and Jazz are right, you do look lovely Bella. Now, perhaps Jasper can show you around the house?”

 

It wasn’t the smoothest transition in the world, but Jasper was still eternally grateful for it. He needed to talk to her alone, he needed to know if they were on the same page, or at the very least tell her that from the moment she’d been bitten she had become the only important thing in his life… That he would die for her, kill for her, love her wholly and endlessly.

 

Bella, it seemed, had picked up on Esme’s less than subtle hint, but said nothing about it as the remaining Cullen’s filed out of the room. Carlisle went last of all, whispering something softly in her ear before he stepped back, smiled, squeezed her arm affectionately and walked out of the room.

 

Bella’s eyes met his and the soft smile that had adorned her face slipped. Neither of them truly believed he was going to give her a tour. They needed to talk alone, away from everyone else. He could feel the mix of emotions emanating from her. Confusion, fear, hope, happiness, hunger (they would need to deal with that sooner than later), love, sadness, even tension. Nothing out of the usual for a newborn, but of course with Bella he couldn’t help but want to fix everything. He had to force himself to stay quiet, not to manipulate her emotions and just let her speak whatever she wanted to say.

 

“Where are we? This isn’t Forks, or at least not any part of it that I recognise.”

 

He almost laughed. Out of all the things he’d thought she would ask, that wasn’t one of them. “Canada. Calgary, actually.”

 

“Oh,” she said. “I was attacked in Forks though; I remember that much. I was at the meadow and he found me. I thought I was going to die there, and then you showed up.” Her eyes searched his face, looking for god only knew what.

 

“I did,” he replied.

 

“How did you know? What were you even doing in Forks in the first place?” Even now he heard the tinge of hope clinging to her words. Had they come home for her? Oh how badly he wanted to say yes.

 

“Alice saw it.”

 

Bella nodded, processing the information. “And she sent you?”

 

He tried not to be hurt at the perplexed tone in her voice. “She knew I’d get there in time.” It was a diplomatic answer, if not a vague one.

 

Bella stared at him shrewdly. “I heard you. Not every word and not all the time, but I knew you were there. You held my hand. It was like a beacon through the pain and the agony, keeping me tethered… almost guiding me through it. You were there, you stayed by my side.”

 

“I did,” he repeated.

 

“Why?”

 

What could he say? “Because I had to. You needed me, so I stayed.”

 

“And now?”

 

Jasper frowned, not following. “What do you mean?”

 

Bella sighed in frustration, and on the surface that’s all it looked like. He, however, could tell that it went far beyond that. She was scared, terrified really. She was confused and hurting and unsure, and he knew that he wasn’t helping. At least he had Alice to explain his feelings for her, to reassure him that Bella was always meant to be the one for him. If Bella felt a fraction of what he was feeling for her, then it was no surprise that she was confused. She’d died loving one vampire, only to awaken bound to love another.

 

“You left me once, all of you,” she said, her voice betraying only a hint of the heartbreak she’d been through “I know we were never particularly close, we never got that chance. I didn’t ask to turn, or not like this at least… You stayed with me through all that, but what about now? Will you leave like you left the last time? I don’t know how to be a vampire, but I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.”

 

Jasper stepped forward, closing the gap between them. “Never,” he vowed. “Leaving you alone in Forks was a mistake. You belong with this family, Edward or no Edward. You belong here, with me.”

 

And then he did something very stupid, against his better judgement. He wound his hands into her dark curls and pulled her lips to his in an all consuming kiss.

 

He was well aware she could have pulled him away and attacked him. Newborns were unpredictable and emotionally volatile like that. Indeed, Bella froze for a split second, but Jasper couldn’t even find it in himself to tense for an assault, instead he just kissed her harder, pouring every ounce of love, adoration, passion and utter devotion he had for her into that one action. Then, by some miracle, Bella came apart in his arms and kissed him back, her hands finding their way to his waist, clutching him tightly against her.

 

Jasper found himself smiling into the kiss, and after a glorious minute he broke away. “Darlin’, I don’t know how or why, but I from the moment you started to change I could not bear to part with you and you can bet I have no intention of doing so now. You are mine, Isabella Swan.”

 

Bella looked at him as though she’d never quite seen him before. Her eyes were starry, and despite not needing to breathe to live, she seemed almost… breathless. “Are you manipulating what I’m feeling right now? Because I swear to god, Jasper-“

 

“Nope. Whatever you’re feeling, that’s on you, darlin,” he gave her a half smirk, his hands slipping from her hair to her waist, unwilling to let her go entirely.

 

“What about Edward? He isn’t here, is he?”

 

Jasper shook his head, fighting the urge to snarl at his brother’s name coming from her lips. He didn’t sense any anguish or pain from her at the thought, she merely seemed curious. He could only hope that she felt like he did, or at least the beginnings of it. “Edward left you, forced _us_ to leave you. You were his singer but he was never your mate, that pleasure is mine,” he growled, tangling one of his hands into her hair.

 

Bella nodded, thinking things through. “And Alice?” she asked.

 

“Has known about you and I for a long, long time,” he replied.

 

“Good,” she said. “Because I really want you to kiss me again.”

 

Jasper grinned, pulling her flush against him. “It’d be my pleasure, ma’am.” He pulled his head down as if to kiss her, but paused just before his lips met hers, “But first, I’m taking you hunting. You’re ravenous, I can feel it.”

 

Somewhat reluctantly he released her from his grip, took a step back and offered her his hand. “Shall we?”

 

Bella smiled back and him and placed her hand in his. Together, they ran.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed, please leave a comment or some Kudos to let me know your thoughts :)


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